Thawed Boundaries: The Unorthodox Edition
by NeoAlchemist
Summary: One year has went by since then. Redeemed of the past, Hans sets out to fulfill his last declaration to Elsa. Busy as ever, Elsa dares to pay more heed to 'suitors' during the next social event. Will they receive more than they asked? This may just the beginning of a new story, but how far will the boundaries between these two thaw? SEQUEL to "Frozen Hearts: The Unorthodox Edition"


Hello readers! As most of you already know, this is the sequel to the fanfic **Frozen Hearts: The Unorthodox Edition**, and though it may take a while, it's recommended that you do, so that you can catch the fine details in this fanfic and understand more. But I thank those who did encourage me to improve my skills and I welcome everyone to not keep calm, but be excited because reading is exciting! Fav/follow/review, and enjoy!

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"... how long will it take..? ... because I..." She spoke her heart aloud, to no one in particular. The Snow Queen's emotions lingered within, thawed. "I... I think I love you."

Elsa suddenly flushed furiously at this, not believing that she said such a thing out loud. She frantically looked around to see if anyone present was able to hear her, heart pounding loudly. Luckily the queen was alone at that moment, and she made her way back to the castle with butterflies in her stomach.

...

1 year later

...

Sunlight shone in the room, creating a soft summer atmosphere, its soft rays warm and welcoming. The birds sang a morning serenade at the window, lovely as ever. Heaps of papers lay on the desk overlooking the outside scenery, yet to be completed. A queen yet to complete them reclined upon the work, deep in her political-worried dreams.

Then, a knock at the door stirred her awake, but only slightly. "Mmhm...?" The knock came once more, along with a voice. "Queen Elsa?" At the sound of her name, Elsa jerked awake, paperwork flying all over. "Y-yes..?" Again the knock came. "Queen Elsa?" It was Gerda. The woman quickly fixed herself, prying a paper from her cheek and organizing her work, finally sitting properly on her desk. "Ah... oh no, how long was I asleep?" Immediately she picked her pen up and resumed her work. She almost forgot about Gerda. The voice at the door spoke once more. "May I come in, Queen Elsa?" Elsa called back, her attention mostly on the paperwork, "Of course, please do come in." The grand wooden doors of her office then opened and Gerda walked in with a tray of tea. Elsa smiled and thanked the maid as she set it down on her desk. Putting her work aside, the queen took a sip of the tea, sighing in satisfaction. The scent and taste of Jasmine added well to the soft mood of the morning light.

Yet despite the queen's peaceful spirit, Gerda couldn't help but look at her with concern. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but did I wake you?" At this Elsa lowered her cup and shook her head. "Oh no no, Gerda, you didn't. I've been up for hours." But even though she said that, the maid was still worried.

"Queen Elsa, you still remember, right?"

"Remember what?"

"Ah... you said last night that you'd go to the next ball you were invited to, correct?" Elsa thought hard to remember last night. _I did? _Then she remembered her coffee discussion with Anna and she sighed. _Oh yes... that's right. _"Yes, of course. But simply for political reasons. I'd like to get in touch with Corona now a days; they have great fishing trades there. We also get a special offer... from relative to relative, that is.

Gerda twiddled with her fingers as she said this, and Elsa noticed that she was still troubled. "Are you alright Gerda?" It was then when she looked to her with a respectful, but just face. "Queen Elsa." The woman could tell that she was about to engage in a serious conversation. She put her cup down on the tray and turned to face Gerda fully. "Yes?"

The maid took a deep breath. "My lady, it's been about a year since your coronation, and the other maids and I think that it's time that you... found yourself an interest in certain things." Elsa didn't know where she was going with this. She looked to her work and toyed with the pen on the desk. "And that may be?"

"Like perhaps going out more instead of always working in your office here. Also, there are many nice people out there – people who wish to meet you." The other woman frowned at what she said and replied, "Well, if they wish to meet me, then they can simply come to Arendalle for a meeting. Also, Anna seems to enjoy doing that for me, so I do not mind spending time here."

"But, my lady, we must find you sui-... more people to create connections with. I-it would be wise to go... to these social events. Or else... the future may be at stake." Elsa stopped playing with the pen on her desk, beginning to feel troubled. "What do you mean?" Gerda twiddled her fingers and looked only to the reflection of Elsa through the cup of tea. "My lady, Queen Elsa.. y-you must find a... a successor to the throne. All of the staff know that Princess Anna may or may not bear a child with the ice master. But your successor must also be of royal blood, in which the ice master is not, though he is dear to the princess. It is... only appropriate to do so... as a part of your duty, as queen. In other words... a love life, or perhaps even marriage."

Elsa's eyes widened, and for the first time in a while, she was speechless.

_Marriage..?_

She hadn't thought of that word nor considered it since her coronation – heck, since the time she was born! _M-a-r-r-i-a-g-e... _Elsa spelled it out in her head, and it didn't sound quite right – almost strange actually. That meant... a _man _was suppose to come into her life now? No one in particular came up. But the harder she thought about it, the clearer her image became. A man... with fine features and bright eyes... _sociable, and charming... and.. auburn? _Her cheeks madly blushed shades of crimson, realizing who exactly she just visualized. The queen shook her head to wave it off. Then slowly looking back at Gerda she repeated softly, "Marriage..." It sounded weird too, the way it rolled off her tongue.

The maid suddenly took both of her dumbfounded hands and stared anxiously straight at her. "Please, your majesty. Princess Anna is extremely worried as well, that is why she wanted to talk with you last night of meeting new people. The sake of Arendalle's monarchy depends on this, Queen Elsa. Without a successor... we may be ruled by another. Another monarch, or sovereign, which is very much the same as giving up our loyalty to you. That would be the same as, dare I say it, throwing ourselves to the dogs. Queen Elsa, the staff has loved serving your predecessors, and serving you. We would also love to serve the next generations as well."

Elsa couldn't really say anything to this, knowing how loyal Gerda and the staff could get. So she sighed and gave in. But that didn't mean she'd be serious about it. She did need to spend a little more time outside after all. "Okay, Gerda. The next ball I am invited to, I will pay more heed to 'interacting' and 'suitors'." The maid then smiled big and patted her hands with gratitude.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and in came Kai. Elsa turned to him. "Yes, Kai?" He cleared his throat and held out a letter. "An invitation to a ball, your majesty.. shall I dispose of it like the rest?" The queen took in a breath. "It's okay Kai. I'll.. I'll read it." At her command, he handed the letter to her and she opened it with an envelope knife. It had a magenta seal that seemed a little... familiar. Elsa read it in her mind, slowly scanning through its contents.

_Dear Queen Elsa of Arendalle,_

_On behalf of King Eustis, we would like to personally invite you to our grand ball in the next two weeks to mark the king's 63rd birthday. A number of activities have been planned, and we would love to have you attend, as your presence would mean a great number to us. This is a three day two night event, and we advise you to bring your luggage and necessities. A suite and all services will be provided along with this. To thank you for accepting, a special gift has been enclosed for you, so when you do visit, you can celebrate with the outmost enjoyment. Please do come join us as we commemorate this exceptional event that many others throughout kingdoms will attend._

_Sincerely yours, the princes of the **Southern Isles**_

Elsa read who it was from again and her heart caught in her throat. Gerda and Kai looked at her worriedly. She didn't take her eyes off of the paper, re-reading the entire thing all over again while remembering her conversation with Gerda.

_..._

_..._

_... the SOUTHERN ISLES?_

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"Move it a little to the right.. ah yes, perfect." Edvard smiled at the floral display that the servants set up on the white-clothed round tables scattered around the tiled patio. Cherry blossoms overlooked the scenery, leaving the centre open for when it was the time to dance. The grand marble flooring softly reflected the sunlight. Everything was lovely. But at the moment, it was in the middle of construction – for the king's birthday.

Edvard glanced at the castle behind himself, laughing softly and hysterically. "Typical how the king demands his birthday to be grand. Amusing that he dictates his sons to do the dirty work for him," The prince then turned his attention back to the busy staff. "Well, tut, tut. Who am I to defy such orders from his majesty himself?" Somehow his words were very cynical.

He then spoke to the servants. "The area needs to be cleared of leaves and the boats must be cleaned for next week. Where are Georg and Markus with the list of invitations?" One of the maids came up to him and answered his question. "Sir, they are in the process of confirming who is coming."

"Still? It's been a week since we've sent the invitations out. Sigh, should've had Isak to do them.. but he's busy. Anyway, what is Hans doing right now?"

"Ah... he is sword fighting with Thomas in the east courtyard."

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Three side slashes came across him, in which he parried easily with a relaxed posture. There was a second long pause before the next daring thrust was made. Thomas arched his sword into a crescent moon, trapping the blade into a lock and attempting to put Hans of balance. But the other prince would not back off so easily and stomped his foot down before he could fall. Twisting his body underneath his opponent, he thrusted his sword out once more, but Thomas stooped out of the way. The metal cut a lock of his dark hair and the man jumped backwards out of range. He reached to the tips of his long-ish hair and realized that it was cut shorter than he thought. Giving a sigh, thomas sprung forward and Hans thrust his blade out, taking the challenge head-first with the same move. Faking the equal thrust, at last minute the dark-haired prince switched his blade up and parried the other sword downwards before locking and knocking it out of Hans grasp. Without wasting any time, the sword-less fighter dived out of Thomas' slash and rolled to get his sword. Before his hand could grab it, the other prince kicked it away and put his knee to his chest, pinning his brother down.

A moment of deadly silence.

Then Hans let out a breath and held his hands out. "Okay, okay. I give." He gave a faint smirked as the dark haired man sheathed his sword and helped him up. "That last slash back there, were you trying to kill me?" Thomas only smiled softly. "Just a bit, seeing that my hair is now oddly levelled. You are fortunate that I do not care much about physical appearances." Now that Hans looked at him properly, what he said was indeed true. His right side ended at the nape of his neck while his left was suddenly cut short just below his ear – luckily he didn't hack that off... barely. It was quite amusing to see and frankly, the prince needed a haircut anyway. He couldn't help but give off a light chortle.

Thomas ignored him and went to the bench nearby, picking up his dark coat from where it hung. He then turned to Hans, coat hanging loosely on his arm. "Are you troubled, Hans?" The prince picked up his sword and sheathed it back on place before turning to Thomas. "What do you mean?"

"You rarely sword fight with me. And whenever you do, your moves are always aggressive." The other prince huffed and smiled. But before he could reply, a pageboy trotted towards them and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath. "Prince Thomas, Prince Hans!" They both looked to him and when the boy glanced up, he suddenly snorted out loud, taken aback by Thomas' new hairdo. But he held himself back last minute and regained his posture before continuing. "Ehem... Prince Edvard wishes to put you both on invitation duty."

Hans furrowed his eyebrows. "And what of Georg and Markus?"

"Been put to labour duty because not much has been accomplished in their presence."

Thomas' eyebrows raised in amusement but he kept silent. To him, the announcement didn't need a comment anyway.

...

With that, after a change of clean clothes, the two princes found themselves in one of the offices, the summer sun high in the sky.

Thomas now had both sides cut evenly into a neater cut. His front bangs were messily swept back, showing his forehead. The man's sideburns were now visible now that his hair was cut short. They weren't as long and thick as Hans' but it was still distinctively noticeable.

Hans settled down on one of the desks where the confirmation letters lay and began writing the names in alphabetical order. Thomas did the same, opposite from him, cooly taking in the paper-scented atmosphere.

Hans looked out the window to see his brother, Edvard command all of the servants accordingly in a harmonized matter. Everything seemed to flow evenly and everybody agreed with his opinions on how the setting of the birthday should be like. Hans thought he himself was good at winning people over, but his brother deemed to be more optimistic in his commands. A fair rival, he was, despite being a playboy. Leadership did run in his family after all. Thomas also looked out, cooly glancing from Hans to Edvard. Hans gently clutched his pen. "He would make a good king.." _Still has lingering thoughts, _the other prince pondered. Thomas rested his chin on his hand, observing the pageboys trying to lift up a ridiculously large decoration on one of the tress before having Edvard scold them. Most likely because it was too comical to put up. Edvard did have a good fashion sense after all. Thomas huffed in amusement. "I would suggest 'event coordinator' perhaps, no? It seems to be the only thing he takes an interest in." Hans gave a gentle laugh before returning to his job. "I guess you're right."

As they wrote down names and arrangements required for each person, Thomas cleared the quiet mood with a question. "Are you still burdened knowing that she most likely won't accept the invitation to this ball as well?"

The prince paused and looked up, a little dazed. His brother carried on with his work, and Hans looked down again at his hands, pen at hand. He laughed hysterically. "I wouldn't blame her, not after what I've done. Perhaps she realized just how bad I can be." Still Thomas didn't look up. "That is your answer, after all the effort you put in to redeem your status?" He was quiet, staring only at the small blotch of ink on the side of the paper. Strange how something so small could hold his attention for so long. Then a nudge on the head brought his sense back. "How about you find out what her answer may be this time?" Hans looked up to see the other prince holding up a paper with a blue seal on it, his chocolate brown eyes calm and collected. He hesitated just a bit, before gently taking the letter in his hands, as if it were a delicate china. The blue seal was all too familiar, and he once received plenty of them back in his childhood. Now it was a rare delicacy to the heart. He opened and read the contents.

_Dear princes of the Southern Isles,_

_I accept your invitation to attend the king's 63rd birthday event. Though I will be present, I regret to inform you that Princess Anna will not be taking part, however. As promised I shall be arriving soon sometime during next week and will hope to enjoy this gathering with you all._

_Sincerely, Queen Elsa of Arendalle_

Hans stared dumbfounded at the paper, mouth hanging a little open. Thomas asked, "Another decline?"

"She accepted..." Hans whispered, barely even mouthing the words. His brother glanced up, sighing with a hint of mirth. He hadn't seen him that happy before, and so this was a first – and a rare sight. The auburn-haired prince leaned back on his seat, not believing his eyes nor his words. Just to make sure, he read it over again, clutching at the paper for fear it would disappear. His lips twisted into an embarrassed smirk, then slowly grew into a rather goofy grin. "She accepted," Hans let out a small cheerful laugh, blushes of bliss spreading to his ears as he tilted his head back on the chair. His hands covered the top half of his face as he let out another laugh, keeping his grin before letting one hand fall to his side.

_Could this mean.. that I can start over..? _His childhood came into vision, and so did the little Hans being with Elsa. The laughter they shared in their friendship... and perhaps something more, now that he was a man. A prince who wished to spend a proper moment with her – without engagement complications, nor fears of becoming monsters, nor weapons, nor chains, nor lies. As himself. Yet, that was a thought he would never say out loud – it was far too cliche and compromising to share, no matter who was listening. Suddenly, through the rosy blush and the gaps of his fingers, the room became brighter and the light became softer. He stated once more, much clearer this time, "Elsa accepted the invitation.."

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Okay so from the prologue you can tell that throughout the entire year, Hans has warmed up just a bit at some point to some of his brothers, realizing his mistakes and such. In many ways Hans is just like Elsa, and vice versa. So imagine if he received just a bit of love as well! Also, I apologize for the cheesiness! Maan, I felt myself laughing at.. myself, but sometimes we all need a little bit of cliche in our lives. Please follow/fav/review for more chapters. I've been so happy with all of your opinions in the Frozen Hearts fanfic and hope that you'll love this one just as much. Thanks and stay tuned.


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